Dawn of the Red Sun
by Ascension
Summary: Black Hole has been defeated, its forces in disarray and Sturm is believed to be dead. Far to the west, a previously unknown power marches to war. A cloaked figure, murder and treachery add to the mysterious atmosphere of this story. [DISCONTINUED]
1. Aftermath

_Disclaimer - I own Advance Wars! MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!_

_(A couple of workers at Nintendo appear and beat up Ascension.)_

_Ascension: Let me rephrase that... I don't own anything in this fic except Red Sun, its CO and several random extras._

*****

CHAPTER 1: AFTERMATH

A tall figure stood on the edge of a cliff, staring at the faint line on the horizon where sky and sea meet. A light breeze blew his hair and cloak around, but still he stood, still as a statue.

Finally, he spoke. "The sky is eternal, it seems." He held his chin thoughtfully. "As is with the sea, and all things, I suppose. Virtue and sin are to up and down, and good and evil are to left and right. What is a direction? Nothing but a name. All directions would eventually lead to the same destination. There is no death after death, no life after life."

He paused. "Just like there is no peace after peace, and no violence after violence," he finished. His hands dropped, and clenched into fists. "I sense... peace, in this place. Too much. The balance is being disrupted. Soon, the world must run red with blood, or we shall all be doomed."

Seemingly satisfied, the man turned around and slowly walked away.

There had been no one else on the cliff: no one to hear him talk.

*****

Meanwhile, somewhere on the northern coast of Orange Star, another cloaked figure was hissing out orders to his underlings. This particular cloaked figure wore a mask and was currently in a very bad mood.

"Faster, fool," rasped Sturm. "We must be away from this blasted land before dawn. That traitor, Hawke, must not know that I survived his pathetic attempt on my life. Now move!"

The Black Hole soldier he was addressing said nothing and finished loading a crate onto a lander. "Good," said Sturm. "We will leave immediately."

He boarded his personal battleship, the flagship of the tiny fleet. "Just sail west," he ordered the helm officer. "I will give you further instructions later."

The helm officer saluted. "It shall be as you say, Lord Sturm!"

*****

Dawn broke over the sky of Red Sun. At some point in the past, the country had celebrated and mourned. The old premier of the nation had passed away, and a new one had stepped in. Premier Brin, though an efficient military CO, was not a very decisive person. He had a long way to go to prove that he was worthy of his shoes.

Brin's ascension brought up a rather serious subject. For many decades, Red Sun had operated under a heavy iron curtain. No living person in any other country knew its existence. This long-term isolation from the rest of the world led to xenophobia, up to the point which the Red Sun COs were bent on destroying all other nations. The old premier had been organizing the military for the invasion, but his untimely death had halted his grand plans. Brin had been urged time and time again to order the mobilization of the Red Sun army, but he still hadn't made a firm decision.

Two Red Sun COs were especially maddened about this turn of events, and it was just Fate that made them the highest-ranking officers of the Red Sun army. Kelalith and Yal'Dan were on the verge of pacing their offices in frustration. Both were so eager to bring war to the evil countries in the east, they could be considered fanatical. Their numerous complaints to Brin were not so much ignored as met with annoying indecisiveness.

*****

And in the east, the COs of Orange Star, Blue Moon, Yellow Comet and Green Earth threw a party in celebration of their apparent victory over alien invaders, blissfully oblivious to...

"A dark cloud approaches with frightening speed, in its wake shrouding all with the mask of death. A mask is... a mask. A disguise. It seems so, but it is not. A lie is great, but truth is greater. A lie is less, but truth is lesser."

The cloaked figure stared to the horizon, still as a statue.

*****

(Please review and give me some comments! If you think this is worth continuing, I will. If you don't, well...)


	2. Azazel

_Disclaimer - I own Advance Wars! MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!_

_(A couple of workers at Nintendo appear and beat up Ascension.)_

_Ascension: Let me rephrase that... I don't own anything in this fic except Red Sun, its COs, Azazel and several random extras._

_Note - Thank you Anonymous Guy for your review! Chapter 2 is here, with Chapter 3 coming up!_

*****

CHAPTER 2: AZAZEL

Sturm's motley fleet landed on the shore of an island a short distance northeast from Red Sun's northern coast. Unlike most other shores, this one was lined with jet-black sand and jagged rocks in the same colour. In the distance, mountains and trees could be seen. But there was nothing green. The island might have had life once, but *something* had touched it. Something so evil and deathly that the very land it trod on withered and died. The island was surrounded by a dense, toxic fog, hiding it from any nosy outsiders.

Sturm smiled under his mask. There was no mistake: this was Faith's End, the corrupted isle where his brother, Azazel, stationed his troops.

Two armoured Black Hole soldiers approached the party. They led Sturm and his remaining followers northwest, through the smoking ruins of what used to be a large, prosperous city. On the edge of the city was a tall metallic building painted black: A Black Hole HQ.

Sturm entered the badly-lit corridors of the HQ and soon reached a heavy pair of reinforced metallic doors. No human could possibly get through it - the locking system responded only to one of Sturm's species. He unlocked the door and confidently strode into the room.

A dim, unearthly blue light illuminated this room, but that only made the humanoid standing in the middle of it creepier. Sturm addressed it boldly. "Brother Azazel, I have returned from our base in the east."

"So soon? Has the invasion failed?" replied a voice which echoed itself, making it seem unreal.

"Yes, brother Azazel. The resistance was greater than I expected."

"No matter. Things aren't faring any better here. You have noticed the land south of here?"

"I have, brother."

"That is Red Sun, possibly the strongest nation on this planet. Half its population is in the military, and let me tell you, I have never seen soldiers so consumed with bloodlust. A frontal assault would be suicide. I have been planning a subtler means of bringing it down and I believe I now have a solution. I planned to put it into motion a few days later, but the news you bring changes things."

"How so?"

"Recently, the leader of Red Sun passed away and an incompetent knave replaced him. My researchers have made a device that can allow me to alter my appearance. I will infiltrate their headquarters, assassinate the foolish leader and take his place. I originally planned to disband their military and reorganize it to our standards, but now, I think we should let them attack the pathetic countries in the west, whom they hate. When both sides are worn out by battle, we will crush them all."

"When will you strike, then?"

"Tonight."

"Are you confident of success, brother Azazel?"

"No, brother Sturm. I'm certain."

*****

It was late. The clocks in Red Sun had just struck midnight. Azazel strode through the halls of the fortress where Brin lived and worked. Infiltrating the place wasn't difficult. He was like a shadow, completely undetectable. Even Brin's finest guards failed to see him.

A Red Sun guard passed by. Fast as lightning, Azazel grabbed him and disappeared back into the darkness.

*****

Premier Brin sat at his desk, scribbling away. If someone thought being the premier of a country was an easy job, that someone would be sadly mistaken. Ever since he ascended to the position, Brin had never gotten more than four hours of sleep per day.

A gust of wind from the open window behind Brin blew several sheets of paper onto the ground, which he picked up and had a look at.

They were those letters from Kelalith and Yal'Dan, trying to persuade him to march the army to war. He sighed. Nobody knew that what he was truly afraid of was defeat. In his days as a military CO, he had fought many battles and never lost. He retired after the time he lost three-quarters of his troops, even though he was still quite young then. He had never tasted defeat before, and he didn't want to. As powerful as the Red Sun force might be, he didn't fancy going up against four allied countries and risk losing.

Another breeze wafted through the window, blowing some more papers to the ground. Brin picked them up as well and went over to close the window. After doing so, he turned around - and saw a cloaked figure standing in front of his desk, his face covered by a mask. Brin felt a chill run down his spine. Cold sweat formed on his forehead. That... thing, it was evil, evil!

Azazel reached for the hapless man. A single gasp escaped his throat, and then it was all over. Grimly, Azazel was just about to dispose of the corpse when a voice sounded from the corridor and someone knocked on the door.

"Premier? Mr. Premier? I have an urgent message for you, sir!"

Cursing, Azazel kicked the body behind a shelf and activated the illusion device. The stranger knocked again.

"Come in!" replied Azazel in Brin's voice.

"Ah! Mr. Premier! Thank god you're still all right! One of our guards on patrol just discovered the body of another guard hidden in a closet! You must go to the lockdown room and stay there until we've found the assassin!"

Azazel sneered inwardly. "Too late," he thought.

*****

On a field under the stars, a cloaked figure stood, staring at the heavens.

"Life in death, and death in life..."


	3. Invasion

_Disclaimer - I own Advance Wars! MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!_

_(A couple of workers at Nintendo appear and beat up Ascension.)_

_Ascension: Let me rephrase that... I don't own anything in this fic except Red Sun, its COs, Azazel and several random extras._

*****

CHAPTER 3: INVASION

Kelalith rushed into the control room of a coastal base on Red Sun's eastern fringe, barely able to conceal his excitement. "Yal'Dan!" he shouted. "Yal'Dan!"

His friend acknowledged him. "I hear you, Kel. What happened?"

"Look at this," replied Kelalith. Yal'Dan snatched the piece of paper from his hand and read it thoroughly. His eyes widened.

"Holy... He actually..." stammered Yal'Dan.

"He did," said Kelalith. "Now let's get moving! This is an opportunity we can't afford to waste! Type up the conscription notices! Load up the APCs! Fuel the landers..."

"Calm down, Kel," said Yal'Dan. "Hmm... Premier Brin ordered us to mobilize our troops and set sail for Orange Star. So sudden... don't you think something's wrong? I mean, I heard there was an assassin in Brin's fortress just the night before. And they didn't get him..."

"Don't worry." Kelalith's voice was brimming with confidence. "I'm sure that he's just come to his senses. Finally. Now come on! You want to trash those easterners as well, don't you?"

"Well, if you put it that way, yes," answered Yal'Dan. "All right. Just give me a few days to get organized. By the way, is Cabal coming with us?"

Both men turned to look at the corner of the room, where a person was standing at the window, watching the going-ons outside. All through Kelalith and Yal'Dan's highly animated conversation, he had remained silent. Now, he turned to regard the other two with his eyes. No one had ever bothered to check what colour they were, simply because just looking into them gave one the chills. They seemed normal enough on first sight, but the light. That strange gleam, like frozen lightning, marked its owner as special in some unknown way.

"My troops are already ready for action," said Cabal in an emotionless voice. "You of all people should know, Kelalith." With those words, he left the room. Nobody dared ask where he was going.

Kelalith nodded. "He's coming."

"That's good," said Yal'Dan, thinly disguising his sarcasm. "Our enemies won't stand a chance against his stare.'

Kelalith regarded his companion with a suspicious eye. "You don't like him, do you?"

Yal'Dan's lips curled. "Let's just say I don't trust him. One fine day in the old war, he appears, orders our troops to follow him and crushes the enemy just like that. I don't even think Cabal is his real name."

"Well, whatever his name is, he seems loyal enough," said Kelalith. "I quite certain he's trustworthy. And he's saved our lives a few times."

"Then we'll just have to see what happens," said Yal'Dan. "I hope this upcoming battle will sort out everyone's true colours for good."

In another part of the base, Cabal nodded and switched off the listening device. "Yes, indeed," he murmured to himself. "We shall see what happens.'

*****

Meanwhile, in Orange Star, Andy, Sami and Max had had little rest since the victory party. They had a lot of rebuilding to oversee, as well as patrolling rural areas to keep an eye on Black Hole stragglers. There was a rumour that Hawke had taken command of them and was plotting his own methods for world domination.

"But rumours are seldom true," was Sami's reply. Her argument was that the small Black Hole parties scattered over Cosmo Land were badly organized and couldn't possibly be under any firm leadership.

As of right now, the infantry specialist was in a western province of Orange Star. The people there had reported sightings of Black Hole troops and, leading a small force, she immediately hurried to the area. So far, their searches had proved fruitless, but Sami believed that they could be found on some small islands off the coast. She was preparing her landers to set sail when she received a message from Nell.

"Sami, I heard you're leaving the mainland. Is that right?"

"Yes, ma'am," replied Sami. "I've got hints that our Black Hole friends are hiding on some islands several kilometres away from my current position."

"Well, Sami, if you're planning to check it out, I'd advise you to be careful," said Nell. "Our radars just picked up some naval units closing on those islands. They won't be here for a while, and there aren't a lot of them, but watch out all the same in case it's a trap."

"Loud and clear, ma'am."

*****

"Captain, land ahoy!"

The captain of the Red Sun battleship squinted and leaned over the railing at the front of the ship to look. "Yes, I see it. Probably some islands," he said. "All right, we land there and see what's around. Order the cruisers to stay back and protect us from possible air assault."

A short distance to the northeast, Cabal's battleship was safely hidden behind some reefs, in a terrific location to observe the Red Sun and Orange Star fleets approach the cluster of islands. "This should be interesting," he mused, looking through a pair of binoculars.

*****

Sami threw herself between some rocks. Another round of assault rifle fire bounced off them, sending powdery fragments of stone everywhere. She hurriedly made a report through her radio.

"Nell, this is Sami. We're under attack by those unidentified forces you told me about earlier. We tried negotiating, but they're quite clearly hostile. We might need some backup soon..."

A strafe of bullets shredded the rocks around Sami. A shard of stone grazed her cheek, causing her to wince and take back the previous word she said.

"I mean right now! And try to get air units - there must be a thousand of them! All foot soldiers!"

Nell's voice came through the radio, barely recognizable due to the static. "Is it Black Hole?"

"No, ma'am. I've never seen them before. They're all in red!"

"I see. I'll send Max along with reinforcements. Hang in there!"

Teeth clenched, Sami gripped her gun tightly and jumped out from behind the rocks, firing wildly. Several Red Sun soldiers fell. Sami felt hope rising in her heart. From her past experience, seeing their comrades die usually made other soldiers panic, run, retreat or simply falter in their attack. But not this time. As soon as the dead soldiers hit the ground, the others suddenly surged forward with renewed vigour, their eyes ablaze with the flames of vengeance. Surprised by this turn of events, Sami froze for just a moment, enough time for the frenzied Red Sun infantry to close in.

A barrage of bullets ripped into the berserk warriors, ending their existence. At that same moment, half a dozen Orange Star soldiers rushed over to help Sami.

"Ma'am! Are you all right?" asked one of them.

"Good enough," answered Sami. "Thanks for saving me back there."

"Pardon me?" said the soldier, genuinely confused. "We just got here. We thought you shot those reds."

"I didn't," retorted Sami.

"Well, neither did we."

"So, if it wasn't you or me... who was it?"

The Orange Star soldier was about to reply when a squadron of bombers streaked over them, dropping explosives onto the masses of Red Sun troops below. In the distance, battle copters and fighters could be seen approaching.

"CO Max has arrived," said Sami, relieved. "Rally the surviving troops. We'll concentrate our attack on their western flank."

*****

The cloaked figure stood on the side of a hill, camouflaged against the scenery. In his hand was a smoking gun. His expressionless eyes followed the action on the battlefield.

Max's air forces seemed to have the upper hand, but that was until the Red Sun cruisers came into view. A-Air fire ripped the sky, instantly reducing many airbourne units to scrap metal. The few artillery units Sami had turned their attention to the cruisers and unleashed a salvo of shells.

Now both sides were even. Sami and Max were outnumbered, but their tactics were superior. The Red Sun had more troops, but they were all foot soldiers with such an insane lust for battle that they left themselves vulnerable to enemy fire.

The noise of gunfire deafened both sides to the calm voice of the cloaked figure.

"The scales are balanced, so I shall take my leave now. If anything should happen to upset this balance, so be it. All wrongs will right themselves in time, and all rights will wrong themselves in time."

*****

The battle was over. Orange Star had won the fray, though just barely. Fortunately for Sami and Max, Andy had arrived in time with a naval force, circling round the islands to surround the enemy. No prisoners were taken. All the Red Sun troops fought to the death with such zeal that they became stronger and stronger every time they got hurt. Some of them even continued fighting after taking wounds that should have been fatal.

The Orange Star COs were now back on the mainland, nursing their wounds. Never since the final battles against Sturm had they been so hard-pressed for victory.


	4. Starfall

_Disclaimer - I own Advance Wars! MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!_

_(A couple of workers at Nintendo appear and beat up Ascension.)_

_Ascension: Let me rephrase that... I don't own anything in this fic except Red Sun, its COs, Azazel and several random extras._

*****

CHAPTER 4: STARFALL

Nell had summoned Andy and Max into a special room in the Orange Star HQ equipped with advanced technologies. Sami should have been there, but she was still suffering from a wound taken from the battle that morning. As the three COs sat down, the room went dark and a hologram of a certain person appeared.

"So, you are CO Cabal, I take it," said Nell.

"At your service," replied Cabal, bowing slightly.

"And what do you want?" demanded Max, pounding his fist on a nearby table.

"Nothing," answered Cabal, showing no reaction to Max's outburst. "I'm only here to give you some intel. The force you destroyed earlier today was only a small scouting party of a much larger army, called Red Sun by the way. Just thought you'd like to know."

"So that's all you're here for?" asked Andy.

"Hardly, my young friend," said Cabal. "My comrades-in-arms are planning to attack your country from three sides. One from the northwest, one from the southwest, and one from the center west. If I were you, I'd start building up defenses now."

Before any of the Orange Star COs had a chance to say anything, the hologram faded away and the lights came back on.

Nell, Andy and Max sat in their places, stunned from the impact of Cabal's words and the way he delivered them.

"Uh... could he have been lying to us?" Andy stuttered.

There was no chance of missing the uncertainty in his voice.

*****

Sami lay on a bed in a hospital not far away from the Orange Star HQ where the other Orange Star COs had met Cabal, or at least his hologram. She had been shot in the side of the head and was lucky to be alive.

However, since she regained consciousness, her thoughts had been very troubled. When she fell down on the battlefield, she could have sworn she saw a mysterious cloaked figure vanish into thin air. Later, while everyone was fighting, she dimly heard a voice above the noise saying something like, "The scales are balanced..." before blacking out. Was there really someone there? Was he the one who saved her from the Red Sun soldiers? Or was it just her imagination?

The sound of voices chattering snapped her back to the real world. A few Orange Star soldiers were passing by.

"Did you hear? We're going to war again."

"Oh yeah, I did. Nell told be just now. Some weird country called Red Sun or something like that."

"I heard that they've got nothing but foot soldiers."

"That's because they're stupid and don't know what tanks are."

Sami jumped out of her bed and grabbed one of the soldiers by the scruff of his neck. "What was that about?" she screeched.

"Um... Er..."

*****

"I thought you said you were going to guard the southwest personally, Nell."

"Well, that was my intention, but Sami somehow got wind of what happened and insisted that she should command a part of our forces. Oh, how I wish she weren't so stubborn!"

"Well, I suppose Sami could take care of herself just fine," said Max. "She's one tough nut."

"I hope so, Max."

*****

Cabal watched as Red Sun ships detached from the main fleet in formation. Kelalith would be leading the assault from the northwest, and Yal'Dan from the west. He was quite sure that the unearthly speed at which the vessels were going was due to his comrades' insatiable hunger for battle.

"Is that it? Do we order our ships to go faster as well, sir?" asked a Red Sun soldier.

"No," answered Cabal flatly. "Tell them to slow down."

*****

Andy had lined up artillery and rockets along the fields a short distance away from the northern shore of Orange Star. In front of these was a line of tanks and anti-airs. Although the latter were meant to be used against air units, they were also quite effective against foot soldiers. Squads of mechs complimented the ranks. It would be impossible to force an infantry landing on that beach, or so Andy thought.

Red Sun landers came into view, just like Cabal had said. The sight took Andy's breath away. He had fought COs from every country in the world before, but never had he seen so many ships at once. It was as if the sea was turning red.

The landers reached the shoreline sooner than expected, unloading so many soldiers that they seemed like one single, red creature rather than upwards of a million individuals.

Andy realized his first mistake when a hail of cannon fire from battleships cut down a portion of his troops. But it was too late now. The Red Sun soldiers charged as soon as the battleships opened fire, so impatient for combat that they actually trampled over each other to get to the front lines as soon as possible. Andy's troops held their ground and returned fire, but for every Red Sun soldier who fell, those around him fought with the strength of two.

The Red Sun soldiers fought like crazed demons. They took no time to aim, simply holding down the triggers of their guns and rushing forward recklessly without caring whether their shots connected or not. When out of ammunition, they didn't bother to reload, but instead resorted to melee combat. Andy was (un)lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a Red Sun soldier breaking his assault rifle over an Orange Star infantryman's head.

Within a few short hours, Andy found himself ordering his troops to retreat. Even his tanks and anti-airs hadn't managed to stop the Red Sun advance.

Though equally battle-starved as his underlings, Kelalith was not made a CO for nothing. As soon as he saw Andy's retreat, he ordered a swift regroup, and then sent his soldiers to capture cities along the coastline to secure their grip on the region.

*****

In the meantime, Yal'Dan's fleet was approaching the western side of Orange Star. Though his passion for war matched Kelalith's, he was able to exercise more self-control, hence able to sit down for a few minutes and formulate a strategy.

Though still somewhat battered from its previous battle, Max's air force had received a hasty resupply and was ready for another round of fighting once again.

The west coast of Orange Star had almost no beaches. Most of it were just cliffs. Theoretically speaking, Yal'Dan would be at a disadvantage with not a lot of places to land troops. Unfortunately, Max's lack of proficiency with indirect-fire units lost him the edge he should have had on higher ground.

Amidst rounds of A-Air fire, Yal'Dan's cruisers released Battle Copters. Some of these met Max's in air-to-air combat, but others headed for the land. Vulcan fire tore into them and they countered with ATS missiles.

Max was in for a surprise. Though many of the Battle Copter missiles missed their mark, the ground which they hit started to burn. It was here that Max learnt that Yal'Dan had a habit of coating his units' projectiles with chemicals that burnt easily when heated. Already the flames were spreading. Most of the Anti-airs got away, but a few unlucky ones were caught in the inferno. The heat melted their treads, sticking them to the ground while fire slowly ate away the metal of the vehicle.

Battleship shells crashed onto the land near Max's massed ground troops. Again, the aim was poor, but the small craters the shells made started burning. Yal'Dan's cruisers then unloaded Transport Copters, which were in turn laden with foot soldiers wielding deadly flamethrowers. Landers forced their way onto the sparse shores along the coast, holding strange vehicles which looked like Anti-airs, but with shorter, wider barrels that shot streams of fire.

Within a short period of time, the whole place was ablaze. Yal'Dan's units were made to be fireproof and strode through the flames easily, but Max's troops had no such luck and were forced to retreat. Knowing well that his air units stood no chance against Cruisers, Max withdrew them as well. Like Kelalith, Yal'Dan decided against pursuit and instead ordered his troops to stay in the area while his landers finished unloading his army.

Later, while crossing a mountain, Max chanced a look back. There was no more plant life on the battlefield - it had all been burnt to ash.

*****

Sami was bored. She had forced information from the Orange Star soldier in the hospital that Red Sun was going to attack and insisted that Nell hand over command of one military division to her. However, her enemies were off schedule. She had been sitting in place for a long time and still there wasn't even a hint of red.

A soldier's voice startled her. "Ma'am! We've spotted Red Sun troops! They're a few kilometres northwest of here!"

Finally! Some action! "How many?" asked Sami.

"Not a lot. Less than a hundred, I would say. We don't know when they landed. I think they might have been trying to sneak up on us but got lost."

"Okay, soldier," said Sami. "Tell the troops to fan out and surround them. I'll be there in a few moments."

The soldier saluted and left, leaving Sami alone in the clearing.

Sami picked up her gun and was about to get going when she shivered involuntarily. Something was not right. Slowly she turned around. A cloaked figure was standing there, arms crossed.

Sami was a brave individual, but even she had to back a few paces away from the man. His eyes shone like polished ice, and the temperature around him seemed to drop. He stepped closer to Sami, who managed to keep herself from bolting away. As he got nearer, she suddenly felt something in her memory click into place.

"You..." she whispered.

"I see you recognize me," replied the figure. "That is good. Memory is a vital thing if one wishes to reach enlightenment."

"You are the one who saved me this morning, right?" Sami then noticed a familiar emblem on a corner of the man's cloak. "Red Sun! You're with them? Then why..."

The figure held up a hand for silence. "Yes and no. You might recall me saying that I serve the scales of the Balance - I do what I must, when I must. That is the only way to keep eternity eternal."

"Well, if you want to stick up for them, it's no use. I've already surrounded your troops."

The stranger nodded. "That is known to me. I would have been disappointed if you hadn't." His gaze pierced her. "Sami, you have been chosen to test one of my theories. It is said that, 'The hunter is become the hunted, and the hunted is become the hunter.' If this is true, my soldiers should be able to break through yours and turn the tables on you, don't you think?"

Sami was left speechless.

"Go and command your troops, Sami," said the man. "Correct and incorrect are like spring and winter: identical, except that they are different."

With those words, he vanished.

Sami blinked and tried to clear her head. Had she been dreaming just now? She decided to put such thoughts away and hurry to the frontlines.

"Ma'am, we have the enemy surrounded, like you ordered," reported a soldier. "They're all penned in in this forest. We're ready to move in and flush them out."

"Good," said Sami, feeling in control once again. "Order our troops to go in two groups, one staying back to make sure no enemy forces escape."

The Orange Star soldiers worked quickly and efficiently, but to their surprise, there was no one in the middle of the forest. They combed the forest carefully, but still nothing was found. Sami ordered a regroup back in the middle. Imagine her surprise when the Red Sun forces were waiting for her there! Surprised, the Orange Star forces scattered. When they organized up to go back and get the enemy, the Red Sun soldiers had vanished again.

Completely baffled, Sami ordered her troops to leave the forest, but they found Red Sun waiting for them outside, surrounding them on all sides. The Orange Star troops beat a retreat back into the woods, but no gunfire was heard. They risked going back out, and their enemies were gone once more.

Sami spent some time posting troops on all the edges of the forest, and once again ordered them to go in, taking their time to search every inch of ground. This time, many Orange Star soldiers spotted flashes of red and went chasing after them, but they found nothing and soon became hopelessly lost and confused.

*****

Sami herself had lost the rest of her small party and was wandering around willy-nilly. She didn't notice the figure that dropped silently out of a tree until it pointed a gun at her head.

"So you've got me now," she said fearlessly. "Go on then, shoot me. Hope you're happy."

The cloaked figure showed no emotion, but shook his head. "No. My theory has been proven right, and I am satisfied. To know how to take life, it is better to know how to spare it. Just like it is better to take than to spare. You may leave."

He turned around and walked away. Sami sat down on the spot, dazed. Who was this mysterious figure, and why did he act like he did?


	5. Eclipse

Disclaimer - I own Advance Wars! MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! (A couple of workers at Nintendo appear and beat up Ascension.) Ascension: Let me rephrase that... I don't own anything in this fic except Red Sun, its COs, Azazel and several random extras.  
  
Note - Sorry for the delay people. I was a bit stuck on the battle scene.  
  
*****  
  
CHAPTER 5: ECLIPSE  
  
Orange Star stood no chance against the fury of Red Sun. Following Andy, Max and Sami's respective defeats, the Red Sun army had laid waste to all between them and the path to the capital. At one point Kelalith and Yal'Dan were at a stalemate with their enemies on a mountain pass, but they were joined by Cabal's forces from the south. After that, Orange Star lost all chance it might have had.  
  
All the Orange Star COs had teamed up to repel the siege, but it was in vain. After the fall of the capital, the country surrendered. Fortunately for Nell, Andy, Sami and Max, they managed to escape to the safety of Blue Moon.  
  
Their victory over one nation only served to whet Red Sun's appetite for war, and now they turned their attention to Blue Moon. But this time they would not have the element of surprise. The Blue Moon COs had already received the details about Red Sun from the Orange Star refugees and tightened their defenses on the borders.  
  
*****  
  
Kelalith and Yal'Dan could see the line of mountains that marked the border between Orange Star and Blue Moon. Both men wore identical grim smiles. Though a portion of their forces had been left behind to secure their grip on Orange Star, they were still confident of victory over the second target.  
  
"Wonder what the Blue Moon COs are like?" wondered Kelalith.  
  
"We'll find out soon enough," said Yal'Dan. "I'm sure they're expecting us."  
  
"Let's get a move on then..." Kelalith had barely finished his sentence when a voice came from behind them.  
  
"Hold!" It was Cabal. "As much as I am sure of your success, only fools would fight without any knowledge of the foe. Allow me to scout ahead and test their strength."  
  
"All right," replied Kelalith. "We'll wait here. But be quick! My gun has almost cooled down."  
  
"Oh, don't worry. I'll be back before you know it," said Cabal with a rare chuckle.  
  
Like most of his rare chuckles, this one had no humour in it.  
  
*****  
  
"Straighten up, yer horrible man, and listen!" Olaf was practically screaming at Grit. "Those Red Sun forces don't like naval combat, so they're all going to be squeezing in from that narrow bit of land between here and Orange Star. It's your duty to guard it, because if you don't, Blue Moon will be lost!"  
  
"Who cares?" yawned Grit with a shrug. "It's just a big bit of land in the middle of the ocean."  
  
"Why you..." a stream of colourful language, accompanied by large quantities of spit, piled over Grit like a tidal wave.  
  
*****  
  
An hour or so later, Grit was lying on a patch of high ground along with his rockets, artillery and snipers. Unlike Max, he specialized in long- range units and could usually make them perform beyond normal standards.  
  
Grit was about to get some sleep when a shadow clouded the sun from him. He shivered. Why was it so cold all of a sudden?  
  
"I greet you," said the cloaked figure. "It is known to me that you care little about the petty feuds of the countries, so I shall leave decisions to you. The Red Sun army numbers more than sand on a beach. If each of them represented a distant star, they would outshine the sun itself. Know this: they have no mercy, and the red on their uniforms is not only colouring but also blood - both their enemies' and their own."  
  
He stopped for a few moments to let Grit digest his words. "I leave you to your choice to face them in battle or not. Either way, balance be served."  
  
Grit blinked and the figure was gone. He had no doubt that that was the mysterious person Sami kept talking about. At first he had been slightly doubtful when she described him vanishing into thin air, but now...  
  
*****  
  
"Cabal still isn't back," muttered Kelalith. The last he had seen of his strange companion was of him going over the mountains, and then all contact had been lost. Even his radio was switched off.  
  
Yal'Dan was sitting under a tree twiddling his thumbs in boredom. They had been waiting for hours already.  
  
"Let's just go without him," he suggested.  
  
"I suppose so," said Kelalith. "Not much we could do. But Cabal usually isn't like this. We might have to fear the worst."  
  
"Oh, yes. I'm sure we do," said Yal'Dan.  
  
Kelalith had picked up the sarcastic tone. "I have a feeling that our ideas of 'the worst' vary greatly, my friend."  
  
An awkward silence followed.  
  
"Come," said Yal'Dan stiffly. "Let's go kill people."  
  
*****  
  
At the Blue Moon HQ, Olaf was saying things that would bring this story's rating up to NC-17 if displayed here. Grit had left his post and departed from Blue Moon all of a sudden. His reason was that Red Sun kill only those who resist them and if the Blue Moon army backed down, their civilians would be safe. That was the while point of fighting wars, to protect them, right?  
  
But Olaf didn't think so. Andy, Sami and Max were cowering in a corner as the overweight CO swore the living daylights out. Eventually he calmed down and stormed away in a huff, muttering something about commanding the forces himself.  
  
*****  
  
The three armies met several kilometres southeast of the Orange Star/Blue Moon border. Red Sun on one side, Blue Moon and the remnants of Orange Star on the other side. Grit had brought along a fraction of Blue Moon forces with him when he deserted, but Colin was en route with reinforcements. Olaf was sure that he would win. If the allied armies couldn't stop Red Sun, the weather would. Olaf favoured snow, and after long years of training, he could actually summon blizzards at will on some occasions.  
  
The armies stopped about a thousand paces away from each other. From a high vantage point up a nearby slope, Yal'Dan spoke through a microphone, making sure everyone heard.  
  
"Anyone seen a fat, bearded git around? He's supposed to be a Blue Moon CO or something."  
  
Olaf's explosion could be sensed miles away.  
  
Taking advantage of the temporary delay caused by Olaf's swearing fit, the Red Sun army charged. Realizing that he fell for the oldest trick in the book, Olaf ordered his units into defensive formation.  
  
"Let the winds of war bring snow!" bellowed Olaf. Almost instantly, the sky clouded over, a cold gale whipped up and snow fell. Within minutes, the whole battlefield was a metre thick with white powder.  
  
"Impressive," said Yal'Dan. "But I'm afraid that snow won't stop me. May the cleansing flames burn your souls."  
  
As soon as he had uttered those words, multiple fissures split the ground. Red-hot fires burst forth, melting the snow around it. Blocks of burning brimstone shot up into the sky and shattered into a million pieces, flying all across the field and punching holes through anything unfortunate enough to get hit. Yal'Dan's bombers soared ahead, dropping more fire to clear away the snow.  
  
Olaf stumbled a few paces back in surprise. This had never happened before. Undeterred, he increased the power of the frozen tempest and ordered his tanks to advance.  
  
The Orange Star COs could do nothing but hold their troops back and watch. They knew that marching into the deadly dance of frost and flame was suicide for anyone except those used to the elements.  
  
*****  
  
At the same moment, Colin was double-timing his troops to rendezvous with Olaf's. The boy could scarcely believe that Grit, one of his two idols, had run away! What reason could he possibly have?  
  
But right now was not the time to ponder on such things. The fog was heavy, so Colin ordered a short break and sent out recons to find a detour. He was standing alone near his own transport vehicle, waiting for news, when he suddenly noticed his teeth chattering. Strange... it wasn't this cold a few minutes ago.  
  
A cloaked figure emerged from the fog and looked at Colin in a way that made him felt X-rayed.  
  
"Ah, yes." He finally spoke. "The imbalanced one."  
  
"Who? Me?" stammered Colin, bravely holding his ground.  
  
"Tell me, Colin. How much money do you have?" He continued before Colin could answer. "Money and material possessions are nothing. We were born into this world with nothing, and we depart with nothing. Riches are an illusion, nothing more than a dream from which we wake from."  
  
"You're wrong," said Colin. "I've won plenty of battles. Money buys... p-p- power."  
  
The cloaked figure showed no emotion to his response. "Yes, I thought you might say that. Everyone has been lost in lies before, but reason is the hammer that awakens us from our slumber. I think I should wield that hammer upon you."  
  
"West of here are some neutral bases. You will have time to capture them. Deploy as many troops as you can afford. I shall meet you with nothing more than twelve infantry. Then see how much good your money does you."  
  
Stars suddenly burst in Colin's vision. When they faded away, the cloaked figure was gone. Just then, the officer of his recon patrol approached.  
  
"Sir! We've found some bases west of here! Could I suggest taking them and deploying additional forces?"  
  
"Yes, we'll do that," replied Colin quickly, still thinking about the stranger's challenge.  
  
*****  
  
Hours later, Colin's army marched at a steady pace, their ranks thickened by the units he purchased at the bases. He was just beginning to think that the cloaked figure had vanished without a trace when a series of explosions were heard in the middle of his troops, causing a commotion.  
  
Trying to keep order, Colin could swear he heard the strange man's voice through the noise.  
  
"On guard, Colin."  
  
Colin ordered his soldiers to branch out in all directions and catch the unseen enemy, but it was all in failure. They struck from the shadows, lobbing explosives into Colin's forces and disappearing instantly.  
  
Suddenly, Colin spotted a flash of white. "There!" he yelled. A round of concentrated fire burst in the direction he pointed to, and the rest was silence. After a few seconds twelve bodies seemed to just fade in. Twelve corpses of infantrymen wearing white uniforms with black linings.  
  
"Is it over?" asked Colin to no one in particular.  
  
"No, Colin," came the reply. The cloaked figure strode into view. "This was intentional, to show you one thing money can't do."  
  
He closed his eyes, seeming to drop into a meditative state. Colin's instincts screamed at him to fire or run away, but something held him back. Some unknown force mesmerized him, clouding his judgement and telling him to stay and watch.  
  
The cloaked figure spoke, almost as if chanting. "All life begins in death, and all death begins in life. Wounding is healing, and healing is wounding. The wheel of time turns... the circle is complete."  
  
And before Colin's horrified eyes, the bloodstains on the twelve soldiers' uniforms disappeared and they stood back up, alive and well once again.  
  
Colin tried to say something, but his mouth wouldn't obey him.  
  
"Convinced now, Colin?" said the cloaked figure without showing any signs of triumph. "Deny it if you will, but you know that you have lost."  
  
"No," said Colin weakly, and then a surge of anger rippled through him, giving him strength. "But that was cheating!" he shouted angrily. "If you didn't so that, I could have won! Money still helps!"  
  
The cloaked figure's eyes flashed. Colin felt his momentary strength leave him, and he fell to his knees. What would his strange foe do to him?  
  
"A man forced against his own will is of the same opinion still," said the cloaked figure. "Hmm... interesting. Thank you, Colin. You have given me something to think about."  
  
The next moment, he was gone. 


	6. Happenings

_Disclaimer - I own Advance Wars! MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!_

_(A couple of workers at Nintendo appear and beat up Ascension.)_

_Ascension: Let me rephrase that... I don't own anything in this fic except Red Sun, its COs, Azazel and several random extras._

*****

CHAPTER 6: HAPPENINGS

Colin's forces arrived too late. Olaf's forces had already been crushed. Red Sun pushed forward relentlessly, and eventually the Blue Moon capital fell. The last military divisions of Blue Moon and Orange Star gathered at a fort on the eastern coast, desperately holding out against a seemingly endless siege. Fortunately, Grit had showed up with Yellow Comet transports and they managed to escape, hoping that Red Sun wouldn't pursue them across the ocean.

*****

Kelalith and Yal'Dan were in the war room of their HQ, engaged in a heated debate. Kelalith was fully in favour of chasing down the escapers and assaulting Yellow Comet while they were at it, but Yal'Dan thought that they should stay and tighten their grasp on Orange Star and Blue Moon and leave the other two countries for now.

The two looked to be on the verge of getting into a fistfight when a familiar face appeared.

"Not fighting, I hope," said Cabal, taking a seat. "We'll need to be together if we want to bring down Yellow Comet."

"What!?" shouted Yal'Dan, annoyed to the limit. "First you disappear before a big battle, and now you just waltz in and decide to invade Yellow Comet? I'd like to remind you that you're not in charge here!"

Cabal didn't even seem to have heard. "The transports are prepared," he said. "We leave in a day."

Kelalith and Yal'Dan were left speechless.

*****

The Orange Star, Blue Moon and Yellow Comet COs were cramped into a single, small conference room in the Yellow Comet palace. According to Sonja's intel, Red Sun was on the move again and they must prepare to avoid the same fate as Orange Star and Blue Moon.

The environment in the room was not a relaxed one, and not just because of the impending danger. Olaf blamed Grit for the destruction of Blue Moon, refusing to speak to him and glaring daggers of hatred at the sharpshooter whenever he got the chance. Sami, Grit and Colin were still suffering from the after-effects of being in the presence of the mysterious cloaked figure. And Kanbei had put on odd socks by accident.

Nevertheless, the meeting made good progress and they had made a battle plan within a short space of time. Yellow Comet would fortify their coastal defenses while the Orange Star COs would leave for Green Earth and bring reinforcements. Blue Moon would take its remaining navy south, west and then back to strike at Red Sun from behind. Hopefully, it would be at that time when the reinforcements arrive, just in time for a full four-army assault on Red Sun. Kanbei was quite pleased with the plan, but no one else was. Even Black Hole had not managed to crush two entire countries so quickly.

*****

Cabal stood on the deck of a Red Sun battleship, silently studying the calm waves of the sea. Yal'Dan's mood had taken a turn for the worse after his decision to attack Yellow Comet and he insisted that all three Red Sun COs share a single command ship. Kelalith hadn't been too happy about it, but Cabal only seemed mildly amused. Though Cabal had said nothing, Kelalith got the feeling that his companion was only too aware of Yal'Dan's suspicions against him.

A low, menacing voice sounded out. "Thought I might find you here."

"Yal'Dan," said Cabal impassively, without even turning to look.

"What will it be this time? Running off to test our enemies again?"

"Possibly, if the need presents itself."

Yal'Dan's face distorted in rage. "Traitor!" he hissed.

"Oh? How so?"

"I can forgive your stealing my glory in the old wars, but let me put this bluntly: I don't trust you further than I can spit! You weren't even a Red Sun CO in the first place! You may have proven yourself in everyone else's eyes, but not me! Fine, you may have saved my skin a few times, but I know that you've got your own reasons, whatever they are!"

"Of course I do. Every man has his own reasons, doesn't he?"

"So you admit it!"

"We can never be sure. Nothing is impossible."

"Hah!" snorted Yal'Dan. "Beating around the bush will get you nowhere! Well, sorry, I'm just gonna assume that you're admitting it by refusing to deny it! And being with us for so long, I'm certain you know the penalty of treason!"

"I know well enough," said Cabal. "Everything has consequences."

Yal'Dan whipped out a long knife from his belt. "Turn and fight, then! We'll settle this, here and now!"

Cabal slowly turned around, giving Yal'Dan's weapon a disdainful glance. "There'll be no violence here today, Yal'Dan. We may have a reckoning in the future, but the time is not right now."

"What, so you can buy yourself more time to sell us down the river? I don't think so!"

Yal'Dan leapt to the assault as soon as his sentence was finished. In a blink of the eye, a blade appeared in Cabal's hand and he easily deflected the blow. Driven by fury, Yal'Dan launched a barrage of lightning-fast slashes and stabs, but Cabal's skill far exceeded his. He blocked every attack with ease.

Cabal broke away from combat. "Don't be a fool, Yal'Dan." His voice had a warning tone to it. "I praise your devotion to Red Sun, but as I said earlier, this is no time to be divided amongst ourselves. We must leave such quarrels for later."

"Very well then," sneered Yal'Dan. "If you're really as loyal as you claim, swear your allegiance to our country. Go on, it isn't that hard."

Cabal paused, and then shook his head slowly. "My actions speak for me, not my words."

Yal'Dan's eyes gleamed briefly with triumph. He pressed home his attack, showing no quarter now that he was utterly convinced of Cabal's treachery. Again, Cabal defended himself effortlessly, but made no move to counterattack. Eventually he sighed, and with a flick of his wrist, sent Yal'Dan stumbling backwards, his knife falling out of his grasp.

"Go on then," said Yal'Dan. "Finish me off. I deserve a quick death."

"No." Cabal shook his head again. "I will not harm you. Go. You cannot win, and I have no wish to continue this fight.

He turned around and started walking away. Seizing the opportunity, Yal'Dan grabbed his fallen dagger and charged towards his unprotected back.

*****

Sonja looked out towards the sea from the top of a hill. After much persuading, her father had reluctantly agreed to let her take command of the coastal sentinels watching for signs of the Red Sun navy. Her sharp eyes roamed constantly from one side to another, noting every single tiny detail in the area. A good intel officer never missed the details.

Well, okay, maybe one detail not counting...

The cloaked figure slid up behind her stealthily and dealt a silent blow to the side of her neck. Darkness instantly seized Sonja and she slumped onto the ground without a word.

*****

Yal'Dan sat on his bed, in his quarters, clutching the bloodstained knife so tight that his knuckles turned white. What had he done? Had he been too rash just a few minutes ago? He did not regret killing Cabal, but what was going to happen to him now? He himself had said it ¡V everyone but himself was sure of Cabal's loyalty. Next thing he knew, he could be executed for treason.

Yal'Dan shook his head. There had to be some way out of this. First, to destroy the evidence. Checking to see that no one was outside, he quickly threw the dagger out of his window, watching it fall to the waters below. Certain that no one would ever find it, he left for the war room.

*****

Kelalith was squinting at a gigantic map of Yellow Comet, spread across four tables. He cared little about clever strategies and tactics, but it was good to know the lay of the land he was about to conquer. He was just sticking another miniature Red Sun flag onto a certain province when Yal'Dan came in.

Yal'Dan frowned at the masses of little red flags all over the map. "Kel, perhaps you should consider forming a plan."

Kelalith waved a hand dismissively. "Bah! Plans, who needs them? Do you think they stand a snowball's chance against us?"

Yal'Dan shrugged and walked over to the map. "You might have a point there. Where are we landing?"

Kelalith pointed to several marked locations on the western coast of Yellow Comet. "Here, here and here. I'll take this one, you take this and Cabal... Hey, where's he?"

Yal'Dan felt fear sting him. Keeping a straight face, he gave what he hoped sounded like a genuinely confused reply. "I don't know. I haven't seen him since this morning."

Fortunately, Kelalith didn't seem to have seen through the lie. "Oh well," he sighed. "Cabal's always like that. He'll show up when the time is right."

"No!" screamed Yal'Dan's mind. "He'll never be back!" But his mouth only said, "Yes, you're right."

*****

The premier of Red Sun had left the capital for a few days, accompanied by nobody but his personal honour guard. As of right now, he was sitting in a chair in his HQ on Faith's End.

"Welcome back, brother Azazel," said Sturm. "How are things?"

"Good," answered Azazel. "It is pure torture to be surrounded by the hated humans all day, but the results are well worth it. Just yesterday, I received a report from CO Kelalith on the front lines. The Red Sun army has already laid waste to Orange Star and Blue Moon. They are now headed for Yellow Comet."

"That is well," said Sturm. "The more efficient they are, the better."

"What do you mean, brother?" asked Azazel.

"I mean that we might have need of them soon. My spies within the ranks of my old army told me that Hawke is amassing his forces for an invasion. He knows of Red Sun and plans to claim Orange Star as his new base of operations now that the bulk of Red Sun forces are far from it."

"A minor drawback," said Azazel.

"Hardly, brother. Hawke is not to be taken lightly. Though he might seem puny on first glance, he is a most competent CO. He single-handedly plotted my downfall, and would have succeeded too, if it was not for a stroke a good luck on my side."

"Then he must be destroyed," concluded Azazel. "Any ideas?"

"None so far, I'm afraid."

"Very well then. We shall wait for an opportunity to present itself."


	7. Fog

_Disclaimer - I own Advance Wars! MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!_

_(A couple of workers at Nintendo appear and beat up Ascension.)_

_Ascension: Let me rephrase that... I don't own anything in this fic except Red Sun, its COs, Azazel and several random extras._

*****

CHAPTER 7: FOG

Sonja woke up groggily, her vision swimming. Eventually, her eyes snapped into focus and she found herself looking up at the concerned face of Kanbei.

"Sonja! Sonja! Speak to me! Are you all right?"

Sonja shook her head to clear away the clouds in the mind, but Kanbei misinterpreted her action.

"Aah! She's not all right! Nooo! Quick, call medics! Kanbei must save his daughter!"

"Father! Calm down! I'm fine, I'm fine. I just..." Sonja shuddered. She didn't know why, but she somehow felt that something cold had touched her and left its presence behind. She took a deep breath. "Maybe I should go back and have a rest, father. Why don't you take over my command here?"

"You don't need medics?" asked Kabei, still worried.

"No, father. I just need a bit of rest," said Sonja firmly.

"Have it your way then. But if you feel unwell..."

"Yes, father. I understand."

*****

Sonja lay on her bed in her room. She had tried to get some sleep, but she could not. Something was troubling her. Sensei had accompanied her on the way back, and she was informed that she was found unconscious on the spot where she stood. That somehow didn't seem right to Sonja. She was certain that something had happened while she was unconscious. But what?

She racked her brains, searching for some hidden memory. But she could not find it. Just then, a breeze wafted through her window, blowing the curtains around. And, looking at that image, something in her brain seemed to snap and brought the memory back to her.

The strange man. His cloaked had swirled the same way in the wind as the curtains. His words came to her once more, as if fresh from a dream.

"Sonja. I've heard much of you. Over the years, there has been an endless debate: Games of chance, or games of skill? Every person has his or her own answer to this simple question, and I believe that yours is skill. That is both right and wrong. Skill is nothing without chance, and chance is nothing without skill. Meet me in the valley southeast of here tomorrow, and I shall show you."

Sonja jumped up. She must have fallen asleep without noticing. Looking at her clock, she noted that it was already a few hours past midnight. She decided to sneak up now, get a small army and go to the valley. Just to see what would happen.

*****

The Red Sun and Yellow Comet forces were engaged in close-range fire on the shallows of Yellow Comet's western shore. Kelalith now had supreme command of the Red Sun army. Cabal was still missing, and Yal'Dan had been taken very ill just before the battle. Kelalith took his mind away from the battle to wonder about his companions. Both of them seldom behaved like this. Though mysterious, Cabal had never let them down; Yal'Dan was amongst the bravest of men he had ever met and had his own fair share of fighting, so he was generally not the type who would get battle shock just before a skirmish. Kelalith then thought about the mistrust of Yal'Dan towards Cabal and theorized that they probably had an argument, which led to Cabal leaving to brood on his own for a while and Yal'Dan feeling slightly guilty. Before he had time to ponder this theory further, an artillery shell crashing into the water next to him brought him back to reality.

Little did he know how close to the truth he was.

*****

Yal'Dan had locked himself inside his quarters. If anyone saw him, they could have sworn the he had seen a ghost. Indeed, he was in pretty bad shape. His hair was a mess, his skin pale and his entire body trembling slightly.

Yal'Dan knew that this was no physical sickness. It was his mind that was suffering. Cabal's death. It had to be. Not the victim, but the circumstances. He laughed hysterically, realizing that he was dangerously teetering on the brink on insanity. He no longer feared being persecuted as a traitor, but his pride. It ate away at him, feeding off his spirit and health.

Yal'Dan's memory wandered back to the day he had joined the military in his youth. He remembered the vows. "Never fear. Never yield. Never deceive. Your honour is your life." He had always been an honourable person. Traitor or not traitor, he had always defeated his foes in fair combat, never sinking to the level of backstab and murder. The foul traitor had been eliminated, but at the cost of his honour, and possibly his life. Was it worthwhile?

He knew that there was no curing this sickness. No way to purge himself. No way to escape from guilt. What was done was done. He then contemplated suicide. Was death a release from torment, or not?

*****

With Kanbei and Sensei on the frontlines, Olaf and Colin at sea and Max and Nell across the ocean, Sami, Grit and Andy were not left with much to do except sit around waiting for news. With nothing much to do, their conversation turned to Sonja. Each of them had their own unique relationship with her and all three were quite concerned when they heard that she had been struck by a sudden illness, more so when she had failed to show up that morning.

Eventually, they decided to pay her room a visit just to check that she was all right. What they found was an unlocked door and a hastily handwritten note which read:

"To whoever is reading this, tell my father I'm sorry for sneaking away like this, but there's something I must investigate. While I was unconscious, I met a strange man in a cloak, whom I believe was the cause of my unconsciousness in the first place. I also think he might be the man Sami and Grit were talking about and I intend to find out the truth about him. Don't worry about me; I promise I'll be fine and that I'll be back soon, hopefully with information. Sonja."

Sami, Andy and Grit groaned together. Sonja had already made the mistake of biting off more than she could chew once when she tried to take on Sturm alone. They had hoped that she would avoid the same mistake, but knowing the cloaked figure, she just made it again.

*****

Sonja made it to the valley before dawn and took time posting her small army at strategic positions around the area. Although she knew well enough that her unknown foe had played with Sami and Colin like puppets on a string, she was confident of success. But then again, she did have a reputation for being a little too cocky for her own good.

The sun rose, and still there was no sign of the enemy. Sonja wondered if she had been tricked. She decided to wait for an hour more and go back if nothing happened. As boredom set in, Sonja felt her eyelids getting heavier. The last night's sleep had been a troubled one, hardly refreshing. She was just considering whether to take a short nap or not when a chilly wind whipped up. The cold shocked her straight to the bone, instantly bringing her back to full attention.

"Sleep: like night to day, like ignorance to enlightenment. A cause of life, and also a cause to death. Sleep then, and live and die in ignorance," the soft, emotionless voice chastised her mildly.

Sonja mentally scolded herself, but kept her cool. "And who might you be?" she asked fearlessly, even though she was quite tempted to run a mile.

"Names are nothing, an illusion of identity. To see beyond a name is to see beyond the false and touch the truth. All you need to know is that I serve the Balance, and I am here to show you the interactions between skill and chance, as I promised."

The cloaked figure waved a hand almost casually. On cue, a platoon of Red Sun soldiers broke cover, instantly turning a section of the valley red.

"Nice," remarked Sonja, feeling confidence return to her. "But if you arrived earlier, you might have seen me setting up this ambush." She pressed a button hidden in her pocket which triggered off a flare, signaling her units to attack. Rockets and artillery shells crashed into the valley, making small craters and taking out Red Sun troops. Sonja smiled smugly, but it was instantly wiped off her face when she looked around her and found that the cloaked figure was gone.

The Red Sun force stood little chance. They spread out and tried forming a counterattack, but Sonja's advance planning had done its work. The initial indirect-fire assault was over, the rockets and artillery having ran out of ammunition, but it battered Red Sun so severely that now they could barely stand up to a plain old direct-combat match. Sonja had sent her APCs round to resupply her indirect-fire units for another bombardment.

The cloaked figure reappeared beside her. She was hardly startled, having expected something like this to happen, gathering from what Sami and Colin said. But once again, she felt the urge to run as far away from him as possible.

"I see you have mastered skill to the full. Well done. But, like most masters of skill, you have not reckoned enough with chance."

"What do you mean?" asked Sonja, but the cloaked figure just stood there, motionless, like a statue. She was just about to say something when she felt a raindrop. A light drizzle started falling, bringing with it a dense fog. Through the haze, Sonja could barely make out the cloaked figure's lips moving.

"Weather. A tactician's most earnest friend, and also his most hated enemy. Chance has brought weather to cloud the sky of skill, Sonja. What are you going to do?"

Sonja didn't reply. She knew that the stranger was gone already. But she didn't fear fog. As Sami once put it, this was her forte. No one was as good as getting past sight obstruction as she was. She ordered her troops to close in on the enemy in a ring, making sure that they would be trapped in the valley.

There was no one in the valley. Sonja was not puzzled for long. She already knew what was going to happen next.

Rockets and artillery shells burst over the ridge of the valley on all sides, on a collision course with her forces. Sonja sighed in despair.

*****

Red Sun had met fierce resistance from Yellow Comet. Kanbei's Imperial Guard was known to be made up of the highest-quality soldiers in the world, and now they proved themselves worthy of their reputation. They matched Red Sun's berserker strength with calculated skill; vengeful zeal with undying morale.

Kanbei's war cry was heard, followed by a response from Kelalith. Both armies fought harder, patriotism versus fanaticism, quality versus quantity. There was no way out of the stalemate. They were quite clearly evenly matched.

Kelalith wasn't worried. Though he favoured foot soldiers above all other military units, he was still quite willing to be a bit flexible in the name of victory. A fleet of battleships came into view, unleashing death upon the battlefield. Knowing that he could not afford to lose any troops to naval fire, Kanbei ordered the retreat.

Relentlessly, Kelalith ordered pursuit. The Yellow Comet troops fled to the safety of some cities in the distance. Kelalith was just about to order an attack on the cities when he saw that they were arranged in a ring around him. He suspected of having fallen into a trap.

He was right. Sensei's copters soared over, parachuting swarms of infantry into the city.

It was common military knowledge that being surrounded was not a good idea. But it was too late now. Kelalith had no choice but to set up camp where he was and see what would happen.

*****

The day was uneventful. Neither side made any move to attack the other, for fear of suffering great casualties. Which was why Kelalith wasn't sleeping well.

He woke up for the umpteenth time that night, his senses overly alert for a midnight raid from the other side. Once again, nothing happened... or was that a strange figure of a man outside his tent?

He sat up and blinked to clear his vision. There was no one outside. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed a gun and snuck outside as stealthily as he could. Something moved. He chased after it, but it was too dark to see properly and he soon lost its track. He was just considering what to do next when it stepped out from behind a nearby tree, barely visible.

"Cabal?" asked Kelalith uncertainly.

The figure didn't seem to have heard. He started speaking.

"To balance the scales, sometimes one side must be made heavier. Though all must be even in the end, Red Sun must outweigh the rest for now. To you, Kelalith, I grant this gift. The light of morning will reveal it."

*****

The next thing Kelalith knew was that he woke up in his tent, sunlight streaming through a small gap in the side. He walked out, his mind fuzzy. Was he just dreaming last night?

He was not. The cities where the Yellow Comet troops had been stationed had been razed to the ground. There was no sign of the enemy except footprints leading in all directions, indicating a hasty getaway.

Kelalith shook his head in wonder. It was far from impossible to destroy a city, but who could possibly do it overnight, and without making any noise?


	8. Inversion

_Disclaimer - I own Advance Wars! MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!_

_(A couple of workers at Nintendo appear and beat up Ascension.)_

_Ascension: Let me rephrase that... I don't own anything in this fic except Red Sun, its COs, Azazel and several random extras._

*****

CHAPTER 8: INVERSION

Following their initial defeat, things had gone downhill for Yellow Comet. The entire country's military was now gathered at the capital city, walled in by Red Sun troops on all sides. Though they had suffered many losses, the Yellow Comet soldiers proved to be as gallant as ever. Kelalith would have liked to order his infantry to tear the city apart with their bare hands, but he realized that he might need a better plan.

*****

Yal'Dan stumbled into a room on board the Red Sun flagship. He didn't have to look around to know that this was the room he was looking for. The eerie calmness spoke of the personality of only one person he knew.

Cabal. Over time, Yal'Dan's condition had become worse and worse. His pride, his honour, wielded shame like a brand, burning his mind over and over again. Half-crazed, he found himself turning to his old foe, ironically enough. Cabal. That unnatural temperance, the inhuman self-control, the lack of emotion. It must be some secret he kept. If only he could get it, maybe he could rid himself of this pain.

Yal'Dan's eyes darted all over the place. Cabal's quarters were painfully tidy and clean, with odd trinkets placed here and there. There was no bed, suggesting that the rumour that Cabal never slept was probably true.

Yal'Dan found his attention being drawn to a small crystal set into a stand, placed on the table. It glowed with an unearthly radiance, emitting some sort of aura which sent cold sparks down his spine. On closer examination, it seemed to phase in and out of existence, as if it did not belong to this world. Suddenly, a flash of lightning ripped across the crystal. Yal'Dan recognized it. It was the same way Cabal's eyes flashed. He staggered back. Cabal's presence was alive in the crystal!

With a jolt, Yal'Dan felt the mist in his mind fade away. A voice seemed to speak to him in an unknown language, and his torment evaporated like morning dew. The honour and guilt remained, but he was at peace with it. Such worldly feelings bothered him no more. Then the voice was gone.

Yal'Dan blinked. His sanity had been restored! The crystal cured him! But when he looked again, horror seized his heart. The crystal wasn't there. The stand remained where it was, with the indent where the crystal should have been, but the crystal was not. Though frightened, Yal'Dan also found himself curious about the room and decided to explore further.

*****

Sonja woke up groggily. Damn! That was the second time that week. Her head throbbed with pain, and stars flashed in her vision. The last thing she remembered was the Red Sun bombardment targeted at her. Then everything went black. She was surprised that she was still alive.

"Sonja! You're awake at last!"

Sonja recognized the voice. It was Sami. The infantry specialist was sitting by her side, accompanied by Andy and Grit.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" said Sami again. Then she reached out and smacked Sonja lightly. "You little twerp! You had us worried sick!"

"What happened?" asked Sonja weakly.

"We were out looking for you. One of your soldiers told us where you were. Turns out whoever attacked you fired duds. No one was badly hurt, but you got walloped by a shell. We took you here immediately."

"I see..." said Sonja, musing over the cloaked figure. He had spared her life. Why?

"Sonja. Ya know, the guy who attacked you, what was he like?" asked Grit.

"Him?" Sonja cast her memory and shivered unintentionally. "Cold. Very cold. And strange. Very strange."

Grit nodded. "Him," he said. "Hmm... I wonder if I'll get the chance to meet him again."

"You gotta be kidding!" exclaimed Andy. "I haven't even met him, and I already scared of that creep! And you want to see him again?"

Grit shrugged. "Hey, it won't hurt. I wanna know what exactly he's up to."

*****

Meanwhile, the Green Earth COs were gathered on the deck of a Green Earth battleship, accompanied by Nell and Max. Eagle was clutching a paper bag, his face an odd shade of green.

"I hate this," he moaned for the umpteenth time that trip.

"Aah, come on, Eagle," said Drake soothingly. "We all know that you're king of the sky, but you've got to get used to the high seas sometime or another. Here, you want a look through my telescope?"

Jess flinched at Eagle's reaction. "Leave him alone, Drake. Eagle was in a weird enough colour before you offered." Her voice was laced with false confidence. Anyone could see that she wasn't feeling too well herself.

Max looked up from a gun he was polishing. "Let's hope that he'll last long enough to fight Red Sun."

At the mention of their foe, everyone fell silent, each entertaining their own thoughts. Though different in each person's case, those thoughts all revolved around a common topic: Red Sun.

*****

Yal'Dan had found many more strange things in Cabal's room. A ornamental sword, with a sharpened metal hilt and a blunt wooden blade; A stash of books, all handwritten and heavily encrypted; A metallic mask; And a set of scales made from some alien rock. One end of the scales was marked 'For the Sun', and the other end marked 'For Azazel'.

Yal'Dan was fascinated by his finds but somehow felt unwilling to remove all the items from where they were, so he decided to stay where he was and study them one by one.

Hidden in the shadows, the cloaked figure observed him flipping open a book. Whether Yal'Dan knew it or not, he was almost completely under the influence of Cabal.

*****

The western wall of the Yellow Comet capital fell under a heavy pounding from Medium Tanks. Though he knew little about the finer points of fiery warfare, Kelalith had been able to use Yal'Dan's fire-launching artillery quite effectively. Though the flames did not cause that much damage, it did manage to keep the Yellow Comet COs and all their underlings awake all night long. The guards on the western front practically just fell down as Red Sun troops barged in.

Sami and Andy commanded the battered Orange Star army, fighting on wither of Kanbei's sides. Sensei had went out to some nearby cities to rally volunteers for a paradrop assault, Sonja was in no condition to command, and Grit... hey, wait, what happened to Grit?

*****

Grit stood on a hillside a short distance away from the southern front of the Yellow Comet capital. He had sneaked out the previous night to wait here and ambush the Red Sun forces, if necessary. Now he and his long-range troops were marching towards the foe, looking for a good place to set up camp and fire.

Suddenly, one of the rockets ran out of fuel. Grit halted the procession and detailed an APC to resupply it. He was just about to go and check on the other vehicles when he felt a chilling wind breeze over his small task force. When he looked up, it was as if time had stopped. Nothing was moving. Even the air seemed still. In the distance, the raging battle between Kanbei and Kelalith had paused as well.

The cloaked figure stepped out from behind a recon jeep. "Your will to meet me has summoned me here, Grit. Ask, and I shall answer."

Grit was slightly taken aback, but kept his composure. "How did you know I wanted to see you?"

The mysterious man smiled, appearing to be slightly amused by Grit's reaction. "The wind stole your words from your lips, and Fate stole your thoughts from your mind. Together, they brought word and thought to me, and here I am now. You wanted to know what I'm exactly up to, if I recall correctly. There is not much to say. I serve Balance. When that is done, I shall wait for death to claim me and continue to serve Balance in death until my reincarnation. And then I serve Balance in life again. The circle goes on."

He paused and turned to regard the Yellow Comet capital thoughtfully. "The flames burn high," he commented.

"That's why I gotta help them," said Grit. The gunfighter was a pacifist at heart, but there was nothing more he detested than seeing the innocent get in the way of crossfire.

If the cloaked figure heard his words, he didn't show it. "The citizens of Blue Moon still breathe, as you wished it. But not this time. Red Sun... they've been consumed by bloodlust. All of them. None will leave the ruins of that city alive."

"What?! Then I must get there now!" exclaimed Grit. "Get outta my way!"

He reached out to push the cloaked figure - and gasped in pain. It was as if he touched a wall of invisible ice. The moment his hand came near the man, he felt only cold. Such an intense cold that it actually burnt. The stranger did not react. Grit stepped back and drew his gun.

"If you don't move, I'm gonna have to shoot ya!" he threatened.

Again, the cloaked figure showed no reaction. Grit threatened him again. Still he stood, still as a statue. Incensed, Grit clenched his teeth and pulled the trigger.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. In slow motion, Grit saw the bullet soar towards the cloaked figure in a straight line. And then, its path changed. The head of the bullet twisted ever so slightly, just enough so that it streaked past the cloaked figure without hurting him.

Grit was taken aback. "Nice magic trick," he remarked sarcastically.

"It was no trick, Grit," said the cloaked figure. "You feel no hate for me, and I feel no hate for you. No harm may be done to either of us by either of us while those two forces are reacting with each other. So too will this energy guide your projectiles when you fight Red Sun later. Go. As with last time, your interference here will make no difference on the long run."

The next thing Grit knew, he was in the midst of battle, shouting orders left and right as his ranged units pounded at the surprised Red Sun troops.

It was as the cloaked figure said. For some reason, none of his units were able to do any serious damage. But at least no civilians were hurt, and he managed to confuse Red Sun.

*****

Kelalith was hard pressed. Failure had followed his initial success. Sensei had arrived with paratroopers, Grit with rockets and artillery, and he had just received news that the fleet was taking a heavy beating from combined Blue Moon and Green Earth navies.

"Retreat to the south!" he ordered. "We'll rendezvous with the fleet on the shore!"

Only a small portion of his troops followed him. The rest had already shut their senses to everything but battle, fighting with an inhuman frenzy to the end.

*****

"Too late!" thought Kelalith as he got to the shore. Enemy battleships had closed in, and were bombarding his troops. "Yal'Dan, Cabal, I might need your help about now," he muttered through gritted teeth.

As if on cue, the sea churned. Great chunks of flaming rock broke the surface, so hot that water evaporated around them. Burning chunks of metal flew in arcs, setting Green Earth and Blue Moon battleships ablaze. Yal'Dan had arrived.

But something was not right about him. Focusing his sight on his friend on the deck of a Red Sun battleship, Kelalith noted that he was different, but somehow very familiar. He stood there impassively, arms crossed, cold lightning flashing in his eyes. Kelalith recognized that expression. It was as if his two comrades had become one.


	9. Heroes

_Disclaimer - I own Advance Wars! MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!_

_(A couple of workers at Nintendo appear and beat up Ascension.)_

_Ascension: Let me rephrase that... I don't own anything in this fic except Red Sun, its COs, Azazel and several random extras._

_I'm back after an extremely long hiatus!_

*****

CHAPTER 9: HEROES

The battle raged on, erasing the word 'peace' from the southern side of Yellow Comet. Yal'Dan's reinforcements had hit the allied forces so hard that now only Green Earth was still fighting. All the other armies were too severely crippled to do much.

*****

Drake clung to the railing of his battleship as yet another chunk of brimstone crashed into the sea nearby, sending a great gout of water into the air and rocking the ship. He shook his head in amazement. Not a lot of COs he knew could keep up their powers for so long. Just then, a flaming battleship shell grazed the side of his vessel, leaving a black scorch mark.

"Eagle," he shouted into a radio. "We need reinforcements over here. Take out the battleships if you can, they're keeping us pinned down."

"Roger that," came Eagle's voice back over the radio. A squadron of fighters streaked overhead, bound for a small fleet of Red Sun ships detached from the main bulk. The fighters dipped lower, unleashing a horde of missiles at the nearest battleship. The missiles struck home, blowing a large hole in the ship's hull and sending it to the bottom of the sea. However, several streams of fire caught the squadron's side as they took to the air, burning the fighters to hunks of charred metal.

Only one fighter escaped the blaze. "Sorry, Drake, I can't help you a lot more," said Eagle. "Those cruisers are preventing me from getting close."

*****

Kelalith's path to safety was blocked by Green Earth soldiers. Dodging bullet fire with lightning reflexes, he tore into the enemy ranks, flailing a rifle with little skill but deadly efficiency. A ball of fire crashed from the sky, blinding him. The Green Earth soldiers were not so lucky and were instantly roasted.

"Thanks for that," panted Kelalith as he scrambled onto the deck of Yal'Dan's ship. "What's the plan?"

"They haven't covered the north," said Yal'Dan. "We'll go there, and then head southwest for Blue Moon. We have sufficient troops there to crush opposition."

"Retreat?" gawked Kelalith. "I don't remember the last time I had to run from..."

Yal'Dan's chilling gaze silenced him. "A tactical manoeuvre, necessary for success."

"Then I will tolerate it," said Kelalith. "But I will not enjoy it."

*****

"We did it! They're on the run!" exclaimed Drake.

"I dunno," said Jess doubtfully. "Don't you think it was too easy?"

"Regardless, we should regroup and then decide what to do," concluded Eagle.

*****

Unknown to anyone in the East, battle was raging in the north of Orange Star. Black Hole tanks ran amok in the countryside, meeting resistance only from groups of poorly organized Red Sun and Orange Star troops.

After the COs had departed the country, the people of Orange Star had revolted against the oppression. The very few remaining military forces were joined by civilian volunteers. For a certain length of time, the two sides had fought to a stalemate, but that was until Hawke's appearance.

Black Hole had not suffered as badly from its defeat as most would have liked to think. A few weeks of laying low were enough for Hawke to firmly establish his control, reorganize the army and make plans. There was no sign of Sturm anywhere, but Hawke knew well enough that his former boss was still alive. He intended to make the first move.

Hawke was quite surprised that Orange Star had already been defeated by another country, but that didn't matter. In the end, he would be the only one.

*****

The Green Earth fleet was now sailing west at full speed. The COs from all four countries had had a brief council, and they decided that Red Sun would not give up so easily. It would be best if they were crushed before they could make another move. Olaf and Grit rightly guessed that Red Sun was bound for Blue Moon, where they could get reinforcements from the troops already there.

And so without further ado, Drake, Eagle and Jess left, hoping to cut off the Red Sun fleet before it could reach the shore.

*****

The two navies met roughly where the coast of Blue Moon was just visible on the horizon.

Kelalith swore. "They beat us here," he said. "Any bright ideas?"

Yal'Dan's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "We'll focus our firepower on the centre. We should be able to break through and reach the shore. Our forces are already rallied there."

Kelalith swore again. "I hope this works."

Yal'Dan merely smiled slightly. A humourless smile. Almost like... Cabal's smile.

*****

A hail of shells gunned down Green Earth ships at the front of the blockade. Immediately, more Green Earth vessels on the sides returned fire, sinking a few Red Sun ships. Submarines exchanged torpedoes underwater. Cruisers released battle copters, which were in turn shot down by other cruisers. The battle was joined.

Summoning up every ounce of concentration in him, Drake called upon his power. A massive tidal wave rose up in front of his fleet and surged towards the Red Sun navy.

Yal'Dan stared at the incoming Tsunami, unimpressed. A wall of fire blossomed into existence, burning with such an intense heat that the tidal wave simply evaporated to harmless steam.

Drake stood dumbstruck. No one had ever blocked his power like that before. He didn't have long to stand around though. The wall of fire concentrated itself into a straight bolt of flame and streaked towards his ship, searing his hat and crippling the battleship's cannons.

*****

Sunset that day found the naval battle over. Both sides had paid a high price, but Green Earth had ultimately lost. Drake, Eagle and Jess captured a small island formerly controlled by Red Sun off the coast of Blue Moon and the battered Green Earth fleet was anchored there, receiving repairs.

The Green Earth COs were at a loss of ideas. "There's no way to take the fleet close to the shore with the Red Sun naval force around. And frontal assault would be suicide," said Drake, sounding calmer than he was.

"So there's no way to stop them now," summed up Jess, leaning back wearily in her chair.

Surprisingly enough, it was Eagle who made the optimistic comment. "Let's just get some rest now. I'm sure we'll think of something eventually." He stood up and left.

Drake and Jess exchanged glances.

"Is it just me, or is he acting a little bit weird?" asked Drake.

Jess merely shrugged.

*****

The cloaked figure wandered amongst the harbour where the Red Sun ships were docked, also receiving repairs.

"This place has been marked with death."

*****

Eagle sat at the desk of his temporary quarters, spinning a pen between his fingers. A sheet of paper lay blank in front of him. He wanted to write something on it, but he simply couldn't. The very thought of what he was going to do stung his eyes with tears. For the first time in years, he felt fear. But he knew he had to. There was no other choice.

He sighed in despair and tore the sheet of paper to shreds. Time was running short and he had no time to sit around and brood. Lightning-quick action was his hallmark, and he intended to live up to his reputation.

Giving his lucky goggles a quick polish, Eagle left the room.

*****

Jess was finding difficulty getting sleep. So instead, she had wandered out of the hastily established Green Earth HQ to the captured airfield nearby for some fresh air. Her mind wandered to the past and she realized that her history hadn't been a long one. She was born, educated in Green Earth, sent to the Orange Star military school, returned to assist her homeland during Sturm's invasion, and here she was now.

A sound interrupted her thoughts. Eagle was hurrying towards the airfield, a team of his elite pilots following in his wake.

"Eagle!" called Jess, walking over to him.

Eagle stopped, but said nothing.

"What's wrong, Eagle? Why are you..." Jess was about to ask something, but then she saw the look in Eagle's eyes and the words instantly froze in her mouth.

"Eagle..." she stammered.

Eagle's eyes narrowed briefly, then softened into an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, Jess," he whispered.

The next thing Jess felt was Eagle's fist connecting solidly with the space between her eyes. She fell down, unconscious.

*****

Two Red Sun soldiers were monitoring the radar on a cruiser. The night was half-over, and so far nothing had happened. They were just about to drop off when a beeping noise woke them. Something was approaching the fleet. It was approaching fast.

*****

The Red Sun naval crew responded quick to the Red Alert, but not quick enough. By the time their weapons were ready, Eagle's small fleet was already on them.

Eagle smiled grimly. "One final Lightning Strike," he thought.

The Green Earth plummeted towards the mass of Red Sun ships, the explosives loaded onto them set to detonate on impact!

*****

The cloaked figure stood from a safe distance, watching the incredible burst of flame shatter the night sky.


	10. Death: Part 1

_Disclaimer - I own Advance Wars! MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!_

_(A couple of workers at Nintendo appear and beat up Ascension.)_

_Ascension: Let me rephrase that... I don't own anything in this fic except Red Sun, its COs, Azazel and several random extras._

*****

CHAPTER 10: DEATH (Part 1)

Jess sat in the command room of the Green Earth HQ. Her nose and head still hurt, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart. Tears flowed freely down her face. She had hoped it wouldn't be, but her fears were confirmed. Eagle was dead. For their cause, he had given his life.

Despite their constant squabbles, Jess knew that deep down inside, she and Eagle did care for each other. And now, with his departure, that spark of emotion inside her erupted, taking over her mind and soul. "I could have stopped him, Drake, but..." a new round of tears disrupted her sentence, leaving only a series of uncontrolled sobs.

Drake remained silent. Eagle's death had struck him as hard as it had struck Jess. There was little he could do for both his friends. Eagle's was completely beyond his power to bring back, and he could think of nothing to say to comfort Jess. There was only one thing to do. Seize the opportunity Eagle granted them.

"Pass the command down," he said to a waiting officer. "We set sail in an hour."

*****

By late morning, battle was raging deep into Blue Moon. Jess had calmed down somewhat and was now seeking vengeance. The Red Sun foot soldiers, though numerous, did not stand long against her high-quality tanks infused with her anger. Within a few short hours, the battle had been taken from the shore to inland Blue Moon.

*****

"A suicide run," murmured Yal'Dan thoughtfully. "Over half the fleet lost. Now we don't even have enough ships to tag it back to Red Sun."

"And they call me fanatical," said Kelalith, half to himself. "Looks like we're going to make a final stand here."

"We don't have to," replied Yal'Dan quite calmly. "There's always the backup plan."

Kelalith's face instantly turned white. That was something that didn't happen very often. "No..." he whispered.

"Yes," said Yal'Dan grimly, grabbing a phone. "There is nothing else for it."

His courage returning in a surge, Kelalith knocked the phone out of his companion's hand. "No! Think of the risk it could involve!"

Yal'Dan picked up the phone once more. His eyes flashed once. "It's either destroy or be destroyed now."

"Do we really have to?" snapped Kelalith.

Yal'Dan put down the phone. "Fine, then. We'll just die here without completing our mission. You like it that way?"

The comment stung Kelalith like a dagger through the spine. His face dropped for a moment, and when he looked up again, it was iron-set with determination.

"Let's do it."

*****

Azazel sat at the former Premier's desk in deep meditation. His brother Sturm was always the brash one, overly eager to run off and start invasions without proper planning. Sturm was powerful, always able to shock his enemies with his power to rain down meteors, but he lacked the Azazel's psychic abilities.

Azazel reached out with his mind, projecting his senses far to the east, beyond the ocean. When the phone rang, he was expecting it.

Azazel picked up the phone and spoke in Brin's voice. "Premier Brin here. What do you want?"

"Mr. Premier? This is Kelalith of the invasion force..."

"Yes?"

"... We need your permission to utilize the nuclear missiles."


End file.
